Dipolog City (4 March) — Feeling of nostalgia has gripped them as they gathered together, reminiscing what they had gone through during their student days at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).
For the 40 alumni based in Zamboanga del Norte and the cities of Dipolog and Dapitan who came to attend the first IIT alumni “tapok-tapok” (gathering) in Dipolog recently, MSU-IIT has become part of their being. Bitter and sweet memories flash back to their mind whenever they hear the name of their school.
Coming from the different batches and colleges of the institute, everyone was raring to see who among from the province and the two cities of Dipolog and Dapitan are products of MSU-IIT. Some left IIT more than two decades ago while the others just graduated from their respective courses for the past two to five years. And many only came to know each other in that gathering.
Each alumnus/alumna was given a chance to share his/her memorable experience at IIT. Ritche T. Dagumo, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry graduate in 2002 and now a college instructor at the Andres Bonifacio College here, could not believe he would finish chemistry. When he arrived at the institute, he had no definite course to enroll in mind. He was led to the chemistry department after she had met a Physical Education professor whom he asked where to find the English department to enroll Bachelor of Arts in English. The PE professor known as a certain Prof. Laviña took a look at his MSU-System Admission and Scholarship Examination (SASE) result and she advised him to try to enroll in chemistry.
Dagumo recalled that his first two years as BS Chemistry student went smoothly with high grades. Only in his junior and senior years that he encountered some difficulty in his major subjects. To him, it became a normal thing when all the students had to take removal exams or receive incomplete or failing marks. But the good thing was, he survived and became a registered chemist.
Frances Blaise Marañan-Baliola, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy who now works for Land Bank of Philippines-Dipolog branch, also remembered that she and her classmates all received an incomplete grade in their major subject. But she has no regrets, the training she got from IIT made her more prepared for the challenges ahead.
All the graduates have found their IIT training, which is founded on the four core values of excellence, integrity, discipline and commitment, contributing to their success in their day-to-day endeavors.
But there were those who failed to finish their courses at IIT as they were forced to transfer to other schools because of failing marks. Though they seemed to be sailing on rough seas at IIT, they managed to excel academically in other schools.
Joining the alumni gathering were MSU-IIT Chancellor Marcelo Salazar, Prof. Darwin Manubag, president of Association if IIT Alumni Association Foundation Inc. (AIITAFI), Mussolini Lidasan, alumni ambassador from Davao City, Col. Roderick Bunao, alumni ambassador from Iligan City, Joseph Rodriguez, president of AIITAFI-Cagayan de Oro Chapter, Bincol Marambon of MSU-IIT’s Alumni Relations Office.
Chancellor Salazar has urged all the alumni here to help encourage those high school graduating students who passed the MSU-SASE to enroll at MSU-IIT. The school, he said, is one of the top ten best performing schools in the country. It is equipped with better facilities and competent professors. Its courses in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics are recognized as “Center of Excellence” by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Other courses offered by the institute also received appropriate accreditation/recognition by CHED and other accrediting agencies.
The alumni gathering resulted in the organization of the AIITAFI-Zamboanga del Norte-Dipolog-Dapitan chapter with Franklin P. Gumapon of the Philippine Information Agency-Dipolog as president. Other officers are Dr. Gerardo Montilla Jr., Principal II of Sergio Osmeña National High School, Ervie A. Acaylar, education supervisor of DepED-Zambooanga del Norte division, Zyhrine Pepito-Mayormita of the Zamboanga del Norte National High School, Gerardine Pet Lira Ebreo of Sindangan town, Elena Vasquez-Sumalpong of Katipunan National High School, Ma. Elsa Cabasan, guidance center of the Zamboanga del Norte National High School, Dr. Ramil C. Moroscallo, professor of Filipino at the Jose Rizal Memorial State College-Dipolog campus, Leo Martinno Alejo, Physics instructor of the Andres Bonifacio College, Alexis Bernard A. Dalam, professor of Mathematics of the Jose Rizal Memorial State College-Dapitan City, Frances Blaise Marañan-Baliola of Land Bank of the Philippines-Dipolog branch, and Cyrus A. Ratilla of the Zamboanga del Norte National High School.
Graduates of MSU-IIT always pine for the old good days spent at the institute – the school beckoning the poor but deserving students to enjoy quality education. (PIA-ZN)
Topics : Alumni